I hope this doesn't refer to yesterday's prompt, as if it does I'll have assume you're posting this from stolen wi-fi while lost somewhere on a washed out road watching hungry moose circle your car....
Inadequate Rystin and the Maestro were both waiting outside his office door the next morning, and he caught himself just before he reached for his tablet to check the time. "Am I late?" he said with a slightly forced smile. "Only I don't think Rystin would normally be allowed in here at my normal arrival time." "I brought him in," said the Maestro. The man looked oddly cheerful to Fabian's eyes: he had trimmed his beard and there was an almost youthful light in his eyes. Fabian's mind went back to when the Maestro had dragged Sebastian out of the building after the fire drill and for a moment he felt like he had an insight into the man who had gone and hunted down an Umber Hulk. He felt slightly unsettled, as though the Maestro had turned up looking twenty years younger and stronger, and then he felt slightly inadequate. "Ah," he said, keeping the smile up and unlocking his office. "Is there a problem then?" He led his visitors in and as he closed the door he heard the unmistakeable sound of Cass's shoes on the hallway floor. "Sit where you can," he said, gesturing around the office and turned to greet Cass. "We need to talk," she said immediately. "You're second in the queue," he replied, gesturing behind him. Cass pulled the door closed with them both outside it, glanced around, and then hissed in a loud whisper, "It worked." "What did?" "Your email. You properly put the cat among the pigeons. A very adequate result! You should keep an eye on internal mail; there will be some revisions to the proposals coming through, probably this afternoon. Don't leave them till the last minute again!" Without waiting for an answer she walked off, her shoes clicking like a Major-General's as they walked the inspection line. "Thank-you," murmured Fabian. He started to open his door and then paused as his brain caught up with his ears. "Adequate result?" he murmured. "How inadequate does she think I've been otherwise?" He continued in as the Maestro, if not Rystin, would have seen the door start to open, but he couldn't put aside the nagging feeling that Cass was not entirely supportive of him. "The elf needs a proper pass-card," said the Maestro immediately. "I'll be reviewing his work this morning, but I visited his shop last night and I was suitably impressed with your choice. I would like to expedite getting him on board as a consultant." Fabian looked at Rystin, wondering what the Maestro's visit had been like. To his surprise the young rust-elf looked entirely calm and was even smiling slightly.
"We spent a couple of hours after I closed up," said Rystin. "I showed the Maestro some of my historical collection." "The modern stuff is wonderful too, though," said the Maestro. "There is a subtlety of work there that is amazing, and his eye is fantastic. Would the Museum consider him for a full-time position if the consultancy works out?" "It would be cheaper," said Fabian absently, his mind still digging over Cass's parting words. What had he done that didn't meet her standards? Was this another dig about the Fire Officer? "I mean, that while it's always more cost-effective for the Museum to employ staff full-time there are the twin concerns of need -- is there enough work for a new employee -- and effectiveness -- will the chosen employee deliver value?" "What is value?" The Maestro sounded a little more like his usual cranky self. "Return on Investment," said Fabian. His brain caught up with his ears again and he shook his head, unable to believe that he'd said that out loud. Both the Maestro and Rystin were looking at him like he'd grown an extra head. "That's the term that gets written on the budget documents," he said. "Usually it means something like, what change in Museum visits do we see as a result of the work being done? It can also mean what change do we see in research requests." From the blank looks on their faces it seemed that that was much less clear to them than it was to him. "Never mind," he said. "I'll certainly consider it so long as we get some results from the consultancy. I have to have something to support that decision and it would be a new post so I can't just say we're filling a vacant position." Now the Maestro looked happier. "Good," he said. "You sort out that pass-card, please, and I'll take Mr. Rystin off to look at the figurines."
3 comments:
I hope this doesn't refer to yesterday's prompt, as if it does I'll have assume you're posting this from stolen wi-fi while lost somewhere on a washed out road watching hungry moose circle your car....
Inadequate
Rystin and the Maestro were both waiting outside his office door the next morning, and he caught himself just before he reached for his tablet to check the time.
"Am I late?" he said with a slightly forced smile. "Only I don't think Rystin would normally be allowed in here at my normal arrival time."
"I brought him in," said the Maestro. The man looked oddly cheerful to Fabian's eyes: he had trimmed his beard and there was an almost youthful light in his eyes. Fabian's mind went back to when the Maestro had dragged Sebastian out of the building after the fire drill and for a moment he felt like he had an insight into the man who had gone and hunted down an Umber Hulk. He felt slightly unsettled, as though the Maestro had turned up looking twenty years younger and stronger, and then he felt slightly inadequate.
"Ah," he said, keeping the smile up and unlocking his office. "Is there a problem then?" He led his visitors in and as he closed the door he heard the unmistakeable sound of Cass's shoes on the hallway floor. "Sit where you can," he said, gesturing around the office and turned to greet Cass.
"We need to talk," she said immediately.
"You're second in the queue," he replied, gesturing behind him.
Cass pulled the door closed with them both outside it, glanced around, and then hissed in a loud whisper, "It worked."
"What did?"
"Your email. You properly put the cat among the pigeons. A very adequate result! You should keep an eye on internal mail; there will be some revisions to the proposals coming through, probably this afternoon. Don't leave them till the last minute again!" Without waiting for an answer she walked off, her shoes clicking like a Major-General's as they walked the inspection line.
"Thank-you," murmured Fabian. He started to open his door and then paused as his brain caught up with his ears. "Adequate result?" he murmured. "How inadequate does she think I've been otherwise?"
He continued in as the Maestro, if not Rystin, would have seen the door start to open, but he couldn't put aside the nagging feeling that Cass was not entirely supportive of him.
"The elf needs a proper pass-card," said the Maestro immediately. "I'll be reviewing his work this morning, but I visited his shop last night and I was suitably impressed with your choice. I would like to expedite getting him on board as a consultant."
Fabian looked at Rystin, wondering what the Maestro's visit had been like. To his surprise the young rust-elf looked entirely calm and was even smiling slightly.
"We spent a couple of hours after I closed up," said Rystin. "I showed the Maestro some of my historical collection."
"The modern stuff is wonderful too, though," said the Maestro. "There is a subtlety of work there that is amazing, and his eye is fantastic. Would the Museum consider him for a full-time position if the consultancy works out?"
"It would be cheaper," said Fabian absently, his mind still digging over Cass's parting words. What had he done that didn't meet her standards? Was this another dig about the Fire Officer? "I mean, that while it's always more cost-effective for the Museum to employ staff full-time there are the twin concerns of need -- is there enough work for a new employee -- and effectiveness -- will the chosen employee deliver value?"
"What is value?" The Maestro sounded a little more like his usual cranky self.
"Return on Investment," said Fabian. His brain caught up with his ears again and he shook his head, unable to believe that he'd said that out loud. Both the Maestro and Rystin were looking at him like he'd grown an extra head. "That's the term that gets written on the budget documents," he said. "Usually it means something like, what change in Museum visits do we see as a result of the work being done? It can also mean what change do we see in research requests."
From the blank looks on their faces it seemed that that was much less clear to them than it was to him.
"Never mind," he said. "I'll certainly consider it so long as we get some results from the consultancy. I have to have something to support that decision and it would be a new post so I can't just say we're filling a vacant position."
Now the Maestro looked happier. "Good," he said. "You sort out that pass-card, please, and I'll take Mr. Rystin off to look at the figurines."
Greg - hah, no. I don't actually remember what inspired it though.
Hah, nice to see such a cheerful (and polite?) side of the Maestro! He must be very excited indeed to be working with Rystin :)
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